Car-step.



P. L.'DESENS & W. H. HODGE.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAFH c0.,w/\smNGTON. n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK L. DESENS AND WILLIAM H. HODGE, OF KANKAKEE, ILLINOIS.

CAR-STEP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed November 25, 1911. Serial No. 662,262.

a all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK L. Dnsnns and WILLIAM H. Honor, citizens ofthe United States of America, and residents of Kankakee, Kankakeecounty, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inCar-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to car steps adapted more particularly for use onstreet cars.

Generally stated, the object of our invention is to provide a simple andcomparatively inexpensive car step that can be folded up and out of theway when not in use.

Special objects are to provide a folding car step that can be easily andconveniently operated by the conductor or motor-man on the car; toprovide a folding car step having an operating connection which can beconveniently disposed out of the way behind one of the posts or uprightson the platform of the car; to provide a folding car step that willimmediately drop to a horizontal position when the operating connectiontherefor is kicked by the foot of the conductor or motorman standing onthe platform of the car; and to provide certain details and features ofimprovement tending to increase the general efficiency of a folding carstep of this particular character.

To these and other useful ends, our invention consists in mattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsFigure l is a perspective of a portion ofastreet car platform provided with a folding step embodying theprinciples of our invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse section through thesaid car step and platform, taken on a line near the center thereof,showing the raised position of the step in dotted lines. Fig. 3 is asimilar section taken on a line at one end of the said car step andplatform.

As thus illustrated, the street car is of the pay as you enter kind,havinga platform A at each end thereof, which platform is provided atone side with an upright post a that divides the space into in and outopenings 0, and a in the usual and Well known manner. A pair of dropstraps B are attached to the sill or side a of the platform, and areprovided at their lower ends with pintle bearings b. The step C isprovided on its under side with straps c that have their inner endsformed with pintle bearing portions 0, in the manner shown more clearlyin Fig. 3. These portions 0 are formed with corners or shoulders c thatengage the fiat vertical portions 6 of the straps B, when the step isdown, whereby the hinges thus provided can only open to an extent tobring the straps B and c at rigl'it angles to each other, as shown inthe drawings. Each hinge is provided with a pintle c and the straps 0have bolts or screws 0 by which they are secured to the step. The dropstraps B have screws or bolts Z2 by which they are secured to the sideof the platform. With this arrangement the step can be folded upflatwise against the side of the platform, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 2, or may assume a horizontal position for use in the manner shown.

The connection for operating the folding step C consists of an arm Dsecured to the under side of the step and projecting under the platformof the car. A slotted plate (Z is secured to the top of the platform ata point immediately back of the post a, said plate being provided with aspring (l at the outer end of the slot (Z formed therein. A verticallydisposed bar slides up and down in the said slot, and has its lower endpivotally connected at al with the end of the armD, whereby the upperend of said bar a can be used as a handle for manually manipulating thefolding step. To hold the step in raised or folded position, the bard isprovided with a notch (Z adapted to en gage the edge (Z in the guide wayin which the bar works up and down. To lower the step, the conductor ormotorman simply kicks the upper end of the bar (Z thus dis engaging itfrom the said edge, and the weight of the step is then sutficient toen-' able it to fall outwardly of its own accord to a horizontalposition. In'this way the operating connection is conveniently andadvantageously placed out of the way, and is of a character to enablethe conductor or motorman to raise or lower the step at will.Preferably, as shown, the inner end of the arm D is somewhat above theplane of the step when the latter is lowered to a horizontal position.In this way, the end portion of the arm D is always beneath theplatform, even after the step is raised to a vertical position, wherebythe bar d is permitted to slide up and down without deviating verymaterially from a vertical position;

Thus the said bar 03 can be raised quite Patented Oct. 29,1912.

close to the post or upright a, in the manner shown, and can be moved upand down between the beams or sills E of the platform of the car. Thusthe step C, which may be made of some weight, is adapted to gravitate toa horizontal position when released. When in horizontal position, thestep holds the bar 03 in elevated position.

It is obvious, of course, that the bar (Z may be placed at other pointson the platform, or behind any other upright portion ofv the platformconstruction, depending upon the particular arrangement and character ofthe car. In other words, the operating connection composed of the arm Dand bar 6Z3 may be arranged at either end of the step, in any suitablemanner, without departing from the spirit of our invention. For thisreason, we do not limit ourselves to the exact construction shown anddescribed.

The spring d holds the bar (Z against the edge 03, and in this way thesaid spring and edge cooperate to form a spring catch for engaging thenotch (Z to lock the step in raised or folded position.

What We claim as our invention is:

1. In combination with a car, of a step hinged tothe platform of the carand normally tending to gravitate to its operative position, said stepbeing provided with an arm extending inwardly under the car platform, apush rod pivotally connected to the inner end of said arm extendingupwardly through the car platform, and means for automatically lockingsaid push rod at the lower extremity of its movement.

2. In combination with a car, of a step hinged to the platform of thecar and normally tending to gravitate to its operative position, saidstep being provided with an arm extending inwardly under the carplatform, a push rod pivotally connected to the inner end of said armextending upwardly through the car platform, and means for automaticallylocking said push rod at the lower extremity of its movement, saidlooking means consisting of a notch formed in the bar at its upper end,a lock plate on the platform adapted to engage in said notch, and aspring normally forcing the lifting rod into engagement with said lockplate.

3. In combination with a car, the plat form of the car being providedwith a hole adjacent to the entrance, a lock plate fastened to the floorof the car and provided with a hole registering with the hole in theplatform, and a spring confined in the hole in said lock plate, of astep hinged to the platform and normally tending to gravitate to itsoperative position, an arm attached to said step, extending in under theplatform, and a push rod pivotally connected to the inner end of saidarm and extending up wardly through the holes in the platform and thelock plate, said spring normally pressing against one edge of said pushrod and forcing its opposite edge into cont-inuous engagement with theedge of the lock plate, and said push rod being provided with a notch atits upper end for engagement with the edge of the lock plate when thesaid rod is pushed down, the spring serving to automatically bring aboutthis engagement.

FRANK L. DESENS. WILLIAM H. HODGE. Witnesses B. H. ROLLINS, E. SPRAKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

